Posted on 03/30/2007 2:15:30 PM PDT by indianrightwinger
Pelosi Going to Syria Despite Objections Mar 30 04:10 PM US/Eastern By ANNE FLAHERTY Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Syria, a country President Bush has shunned as a sponsor of terrorism, despite being asked by the administration not to go.
"In our view, it is not the right time to have these sort of high- profile visitors to Syria," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Friday.
Pelosi arrived in Israel on Friday in what is her second fact-finding trip to the Middle East since taking over leadership in the House in January.
Her repeat trip, an indication she plans to play a role in foreign policy, is also a direct affront to the administration, which says such diplomatic overtures by lawmakers can do more harm than good.
Pelosi will not be the first member of Congress in recent months to travel to Syria, but as House speaker she is the most senior.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the speaker "should take a step back and think about the message that it sends."
"This is a county that is a state sponsor of terror, one that is trying to disrupt the Senora government in Lebanon and one that is allowing foreign fighters to flow into Iraq from its borders," Perino said.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "probably really wants people to come, and have a photo opportunity, and have tea with him, and have discussions about where they're coming from. But we just think it's a really bad idea," Perino said.
Pelosi's office did not immediately return a call seeking comment on why she was not heeding administration warnings.
U.S. officials held their first direct, high-level contact with Syrian representatives in years when they met in Baghdad this month with officials from several Middle East countries to discuss Iraq.
McCormack said the State Department tried to discourage Pelosi and the others from visiting Syria but agreed to give their staff a pre-trip briefing. The U.S. Embassy in Damascus also is expected to assist the delegation.
Others traveling with Pelosi were Democratic Reps. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Henry Waxman and Tom Lantos of California, Louise Slaughter of New York and Nick Rahall of West Virginia, and Ohio Republican David Hobson. Ellison is the first Muslim member of Congress.
The House has adjourned for a two-week spring break.
The group planned to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and to travel to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Ellison's spokesman, Rick Jauert.
The speaker is expected on Sunday to address the Israeli Knesset, her first address to a foreign government. She will become the highest- ranking American woman to speak before the Israeli parliament, according to her office.
She is expected to discuss "America's commitment to Israel and the challenges facing the two nations in the Middle East," according to a statement.
In late January, Pelosi and a close political ally, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., led a delegation of House members to Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and other countries.
The January trip to Baghdad came just days after the president asked Congress in his State of the Union address to give his revised war strategy a chance to work. Bush is sending 21,500 additional combat troops, plus thousands of other support troops, to Iraq in a bid to tamp down sectarian attacks and provide enough security to hasten reconstruction efforts.
Pelosi last week forced legislation through the House that would order all combat troops out of Iraq by September 2008, a measure that resembles legislation approved by the Democratic-run Senate.
___
Associated Press writers Frederic J. Frommer, Jennifer Loven and Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The "aid and comfort" prong of treason has been interpreted
by SCOTUS as requiring proof of four elements:
1. an intent to betray the United States (which can be inferred from);
2. an overt act;
3. witnessed by two people; and
4. that provides aid and comfort to an enemy of the United States.
Oh, it was Chavez? I remembered that wrong. :-(
There's a reason the Democrats don't want to fix the schools and it's because they depend on ignorance to get votes and they depend on that ignorance to later translate into low paying jobs so people will depend on government handouts which also translates into Democrat votes.
Consorting with the opposition?
You know? I wonder how the US would react if they were taken hostage by elements of Iran? I could see Iran trying this through their 'ally' Syria or their catspaws Hezbolluh.
Ping
Damn USMC..good point. Thanks for the burst of my bubble. I got caught up in all my hope!
And if she is taken hostage, how much do you want to bet that she'll be praying in her jail cell that her dear old buddy in the White House, Uncle Sam, will come to her rescue.
In the second, what in the world does she think she's doing and how does doing something so absurdly counter to the advice of the State Department have anything at all to do with being Speaker of the House?
Doesn't she have more relevant business to take care of?
I wish!
Pelosi: " Mr. President, I am being held hostage by terrorists"
Bush: "I'm sorry, but we don't negotiate with terrorists. Thank you for calling though."
Dial tone...........................
No problem. She goes to Syria, she gets to stay in Syria permanently.
Yes, and it really says something when even the leftist State Department says not to go.
Ahh, the champagne situation: Something you wouldn't do yourself, wouldn't advocate anyone else doing it, BUT, if it happened you'd open the biggest, best bottle of champagne that night. I'll even break my rule against buying French for this one.
Can't the State Department just say "no" to her trip? I don't understand this.
The likelihood of that happening, unfortunately, is remote. But could she be impeached as a representative because she is consorting with the enemy under the Logan Act. If I'm not mistaken, what she is doing is a felonious act.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.